Google Moves Closer to a Future Without Passwords With Passkey Syncing

Google is making it easier for Chrome users to access its passwordless syncing feature, Passkeys, across more devices. Passkeys allows users to sign in to Google and other popular accounts such as Amazon, WhatsApp and PayPal via a fingerprint, face scan, PIN or pattern using a device's lock screen. The company said Thursday that the tool is coming to Windows, MacOS and Linux as well as Android devices.

The feature was previously available only for Android users, requiring them to save passwords in Google Password Manager on Android or scan a QR code to access them on non-Android devices. 

Read more: Goodbye, Password: Make Your Google Account Safer With Passkeys

Now Passkeys can be saved and synced so they can be accessed on any device a user is logged in to. The move is part of a greater effort by Google to push people toward an alternative way to log in to Google and other accounts without needing to remember or reuse passwords. 

The feature, which launched last year, uses cryptography to better protect data from hackers and phishing scams, according to Google.

Once people start using Passkeys on a new device, they can verify their identity by using Google's new Password Manager PIN that adds an extra layer of security, or by unlocking their screen.

The updated tool is available now via beta on ChromeOS and is coming soon to iOS.